Upon completing Medal of Honor: Warfighter's campaign, you are met with a heartfelt dedication impressing upon you the heroism of the men in uniform the game depicts. The attempt at sincere emotion is commendable--but it rings hollow, coming as it does at the end of a bog-standard military shooter that celebrates the killing of hundreds. The battlefield fantasy itself offers a few surprises, but they're crowded out of your psyche by the indifferent hours of shooting and military chatter that surround them.

To play Medal of Honor Warfighter's single-player campaign is to become Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, only instead of knowing exactly where Ned Ryerson will be and what he'll say every single day for eternity ("I did the whistling belly button trick at the high school talent show. Bing!") I knew every exploding twist and slow-motion turn the levels were going to make before they actually made it. Warfighter isn't a bad modern military shooter, it's just that there's very little of its seven hours of terrorist-shooting that doesn't make me feel like I've played it before.

Years from now, when we look back at this console generation, Medal of Honor: Warfighter will be remembered as the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back -- if it's remembered at all. It's the definition of a lazy cash-grab that doesn't try to do anything but emulate what came before it and it does so badly. There is fun to be had here, but it's nothing you can't find for a third of the price elsewhere.

Gorgeous visuals and high production values can only carry a poor experience so far. Expect to spend a lot of time waiting, watching, and wondering why you’re bothering to play at all during Medal of Honor Warfighter’s disappointing, confusing campaign. At its core, Warfighter is a functional shooter built on trite design ideas, but significant technical problems knock it below the realm of mediocrity. This isn’t just an upsetting sequel or me-too military shooter – Warfighter is disrespectful of your time and unwilling or unable to adapt to what’s been done better elsewhere.